


Another Day

by CapGirlCanuck



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: BROTHERS2INFINITY, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Cell Phones, Fluff, Food, FoxholeBros forever, Friendship, Gen, Minor Angst, Pre-Infinity War, Protective Steve Rogers, Sandwiches, Texting, friends being there for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 07:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19970653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapGirlCanuck/pseuds/CapGirlCanuck
Summary: Just the end of another long day for Bucky. But he has friends he can call on.





	Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> Just a snippet I wrote to break my case of the writing ghosts, that got long enough to actually post.  
> Set between CW and IW. Also between my fics Christmas Again and Way Back When.  
> Based off of a recent day texting with my two "sisters" (you know who you are), when we were all tired, and the ways we take care of each other.  
>  **FoxholeSisters forever**

He was tired. Exhausted, really. Days in the lab always left him like this.

It was hard enough working with Dr. Dal and his wife Dr. Lin, talking about things that hurt even before he _thought_ of them. But then to have Princess Shuri poking around in his brain was a whole other level of stress. Of course, she did everything with the greatest care and consideration, and the doctors working with her were always kind, but from the moment he woke up on a Lab Day, he was strung tight.

Now it was late, he was hungry, and his emotions teetered somewhere between tears and anger; but he had the energy for neither.

He was thankful Shuri hadn’t accompanied him back to his apartment next door to the palace today. He would not have been able to keep up with her chatter and teasing.

He shut the door behind him, stood in the silence of an empty room, made his way to the kitchen. He discovered he was standing with the refrigerator door open, staring at nothing, and shut it abruptly.

_Ugh._

He turned around, leaned back against the fridge, and slid down to sit on the floor. He rested his one arm across his drawn-up knees, and sat, staring blankly.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. There wasn’t even the ticking of a clock to mark the passage of time.

He sighed, absently rubbing his thumb against the seam in his jeans; swallowed back the lump in his throat.

He was too tired to eat.

He got up, and paced into the living room, making a beeline for the couch, before he remembered he was the only one in the house, and changed course for the armchair.

He slumped down in it, pulling his bare feet up, and wrapping his arm around his knees. But that position took too much effort to maintain, so he stretched his legs out and sat, silent, his breathing slowing to the rhythm of sleep.

But the ache kept him awake.

He was tired, hungry, and his nerves frayed. And more than anything, in this moment, he missed Steve.

The last time Steve had been in Wakanda was for Bucky’s birthday, almost a month ago. He’d come alone for once, and even though they’d both been in the middle of rough weeks, they’d hashed it out together. As hard as this could be, and as much as it might hurt both of them sometimes, Bucky knew he could get through anything, as long as he had Steve.

He needed his friend.

He needed him now.

Bucky stirred, then tried to ignore the cramps in his stomach. Even the idea of trying to make a sandwich seemed too much. He realized he had been staring at the coffee table for an unidentifiable amount of time. He blinked, tried to focus on something.

The two books he needed to return to Dr. Dal, a bowl of Snickers bars… but he saw the cell phone.

“Steve.”

He started at the sound of his whisper, before he pushed himself up, reaching for the solid black rectangle that fit in the palm of his hand. It looked like any other smartphone they made these days, but operated with all the features of Wakandan communication. A gift from Shuri.

Bucky stared at the gleaming blank screen.

The last time he’d talked to Steve had been a couple days before, in a Skype call per usual for one of their joint sessions with Dr. Dal; Sam had been on Steve’s end too. Bucky didn’t know for sure where Steve was or what he was doing.

But… he was there.

Just on the other end of a phone call or a text message. Of course, he couldn’t always answer Bucky right away, but he always answered.

Bucky’s hand tightened around the phone for a moment, before he relaxed and tapped the screen with his thumb to turn it on.

No messages waiting.

Bucky typed a new one of his own:

_Can you make me a sandwich?_

Hit SEND. Added:

_No mustard._

He sat for several seconds, staring at the words until he didn’t see them any more. He sat, staring, until the screen went dark.

He jumped when the phone vibrated in his hand, then swiped it open.

_No bread here. Sorry. Try the cupboard next to the kitchen sink._

_You okay?_

_When was the last time you actually ate?_

_Did Shuri forget to feed you?_

Bucky’s lips twitched, as he fumbled out his reply. Ah, that was Steve, getting worried at him.

_I’m okay._

_Just stupid tired._

_And hungry._

_She fed me lunch._

_How long ago was that?_

_Eight hours, give or take._

_Buck_

_GO EAT._

_Please._

_I’ll worry until you do, idiot jerk._

Bucky found himself smiling, and at the same time feeling a burn behind his eyes. He typed two words, hesitated three heartbeats, and sent it before his manly pride got the better of him.

_Miss you_

_I miss you too, Buck._

A longer pause

_Sooo what kind of sandwich are you gonna make?_

Now Bucky gave a weak chuckle, shaking his head.

_Fine._

_Aye, aye, Captain._

He was pushing himself to his feet when he saw Steve’s response: a little face rolling its eyes.

_Do you want to call me so we can talk and you don’t have to try and text while making a sandwich?_

_Try TO text._

_Illiterate punk._

Somehow Bucky found himself at the counter with the bread and meat and mayo, the phone set to speaker and lying beside him.

“How did it go today?” The warmth in Steve’s voice seemed to fill the kitchen.

“Okay. I think.” Bucky shrugged his shoulder. “The doctors were happy.”

“And Shuri?”

“Oh, yeah. She even gave me a hug.”

There was a moment’s silence, and Bucky ducked his chin, looking at the floor, feeling embarrassed.

“Really.”

Some people might have taken Steve’s tone as uncaring or even disbelieving, but Bucky knew enough to hear the hope he was trying to cover up.

“I was scared,” Buck blurted. “I mean, she’s just a girl… and a princess! What if I…?”

“You wouldn’t, Buck, and you know it,” Steve said firmly.

“She just seemed… small,” he finished, his voice dropping to a whisper. He hunched his shoulders, even though there was no one watching him. “But strong.”

Bucky heard the soft smile in Steve’s voice when he answered. “She is. And you’d do anything to protect her.”

Bucky couldn’t stop the startled chuckle that broke out of him. How did Steve _know…_?

“How’s the sandwich coming?”

Bucky smiled. “Not bad for a one-armed soldier.”

He heard Steve go quiet for a minute, and was wishing he had the energy to roll his eyes and make a sarcastic comment, when someone interrupted on Steve’s end. Steve muffled his phone for a moment, before Bucky heard a, “Hey, Barnes.”

“Wilson.”

Did Sam yawn? “Taking care of yourself?”

“Trying.” For once Bucky didn’t feel the need to try to be snarky. He finished laying on the ham, and placed the second slice of bread on top.

“Well,” Sam sighed. “That’s all any of us can do. Though some do it better than others.”

There was a short silence, while Bucky absently took a bite out of his sandwich.

“Are you eating?” Steve asked.

Bucky’s, “Yeah,” was squeezed out through a full mouth, and Steve chuckled.

“Okay, okay. … Sam!” Steve’s voice sounded a little distant.

A grunt, creaking of mattress springs?

“Ok, if you’re sleeping on my bed, then I’m sleeping on yours.”

Bucky thought he heard Sam mumble something like, “Yours is softer.”

Steve sighed. Bucky heard him sit down. “I guess we should get to bed. It’s pretty late.”

Bucky had finished his sandwich, and brushed the crumbs off the counter into the garbage can. Now he hesitated, the weariness moving back in to settle on his shoulders.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You should go. You need to make sure you get enough sleep.”

“I know, mom.” A short silence. “Anything you need to talk about?”

Bucky twisted his mouth to one side, shrugged even though Steve couldn’t see. “Nah.”

“You sure?”

Bucky felt his lips curve upwards, just a bit. “For now.”

“Well, let me know when you do.”

“Okay.” Bucky hesitated, before adding softly, “Come back soon?”

“I’ll try. Can’t really promise anything else, at the moment.” Now Steve sounded worn, and Bucky’s heart clenched with a mixture of guilt and worry.

“You do whatever you need to. Just… be careful. Punk,” he added.

“Yes, sir.”

Bucky forced himself to pick up his phone, preparing to end the call.

“Goodnight, Buck.”

“G’night, Stevie.”

Now they were both stalling.

“See you round, pal,” came Steve’s voice, drowsy now.

“Yeah…”

They hung up at the same moment.

Bucky stood in the silence, gripping his phone a little harder than necessary. He couldn’t help his start when it buzzed against his palm.

_Oh, and Sam says goodnight too._

_Eat something more, and then go to bed yourself._

_Captain’s orders._

_:)_

_GOODNIGHT._

_You are both idiots._

Bucky winced at his typing, thankful for the way the words corrected themselves.

_Same to you pal._

_Sam says I’m the bigger idiot. He says you’re just bigger._

_Goodnight, Buck_

_I mean it this time_

Suddenly he was smiling.

Friends. Pals. _Brothers._

What in all the world had he ever done to deserve…?

_Oh,yeah?_

_Jerk_

_Punk_

Bucky still felt tired. But at least he wasn’t tired alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope that wasn't too bad.  
> Kudos+comments always appreciated.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
